Letterkenny Rovers 3 - 1 St. Catherines
Donegal Junior League Premier Division – Thursday, March 20 – Leckview Park (Grass, Under Lights)
Letterkenny Rovers continued their strong league campaign with a 3-1 victory over St. Catherine’s with a strong performance at Leckview Park.
The opening five minutes saw both sides settling into the game, with St. Catherine’s having the first half-chance when Conor Doherty delivered a dangerous ball into the box, but Dean McCarry did well to clear.
Rovers broke the deadlock in the 9th minute when a long ball found Adrian Delap, who worked his way down the right before delivering into the box, where BJ Banda arrived to direct into the net for the opener.
The home side pushed for a second, with Chris Malseed and Nathan Plumb both having chances, but St. Catherine’s remained a threat, with Josh Cunningham flicking a free kick on target just before the break, though Mark Anthony McGinley gathered comfortably.
St. Catherine’s started the second half with intent, as Doherty fired a dipping shot just over the bar in the 53rd minute. However, Rovers responded well, with Ryan Lonergan and Delap linking up down the right wing to create chances, but they struggled to convert.
Rovers eventually doubled their lead in the 67th minute, when Nathan Plumb set up Gareth Doherty who fired a shot from outside the box taking a deflection along the way and finding the corner of the net to make it 2-0.
The hosts sealed the win in the 84th minute, as Banda’s pace saw him break free of the defense before blasting past the keeper Daniel Mullarkey to put Rovers 3-0 up.
St. Catherine’s grabbed a late consolation goal in the 90th minute, as Dillon Doherty found the net from outside the box, but it wasn’t enough to trouble the hosts, who secured a valuable three points.
Full-Time: Letterkenny Rovers 3-1 St. Catherine’s
Goalscorers: Bj Banda x2, Gareth Doherty
Referee: Marty McGarrigle